Prior vehicle towing apparatuses incorporated towing assemblies which lifted only one end of a vehicle off the ground for towing purposes while requiring the other end to roll freely therealong on the remaining set of wheels of the towed vehicle. Sling-towing assemblies, for example, suspend one end of the towed vehicle from a tow truck boom by coupling a tow sling to the front or rear suspension of a towed vehicle. Wheel lift-towing, on the other hand, lifts one end of the towed vehicle by suspending either the front or rear set of wheels from the tow truck wheel lift. Wheel lift-towing is preferred over sling-towing since it lifts the tires, whereas sling-towing employs the use of chains around precision suspension components. Both methods, however, are still in use.
Situations develop, nonetheless, where it is not desirable to freely roll the remaining (or non-lifted) end behind the lifted end. Some four-wheel drive, severely damaged or stolen vehicles, for instance, may be incapable of being towed in this manner. Prior practices required use flatbed trucks or the like to lift and move these vehicles. More recent designs incorporate or retrofit conventional towing vehicles with dolly wheel assemblies to lift and support the remaining end of the vehicle above the ground.
Typically, dolly wheel assemblies include two wheeled units each consisting of a pair of wheels rotatably mounted to a base portion in a side-by-side relation. The two wheeled units are releasably coupled together in a spaced-apart relation by two elongated cross support tubes, hereinafter referred to as "dolly bars," mounted transverse to the two base portions. The dolly bars are adjustably spaced-apart relative to the base portion by a distance sufficient to engage and suspend the set of wheels therebetween. Accordingly, the dolly wheel assembly, consisting generally of two spaced apart wheeled units and two spaced apart transversely mounted dolly bars, provide a wheeled cradle structure formed to suspend the remaining set of wheels therebetween. While this method of carrying and supporting a towed vehicle is quite advantageous, storage of the dolly bars have proven problematic. As shown in FIG. 1, dolly bars 10 (only one of which is shown) are generally elongated and rectangular in transverse cross-sectional area which aid mounting engagement with the wheels of the towed vehicle. Furthermore, dolly bars 10 often include plate-like flanges 11 and 11' extending outward therefrom which are aligned proximate the wheels of the vehicle. Flanges 11 and 11' increase the surface area by which the wheels of the towed vehicle supportably engage. Accordingly, because of the extended length bars 10 and flanges 11 and 11', the applicable storage space provided on the towing vehicle is limited. Generally, the storage areas include the rear bed of the towing vehicle or a tool storage compartment positioned transversely across the towing vehicle.
Previously, dolly bars 10 would be manually slid into a tool compartment transversely mounted on the towing vehicle or a truck bed along the respective floors. During operation of the towing vehicle, however, dolly bars 10 would cause damage to the floors and walls as bars 10 moved around. Moreover, dolly bars 10 themselves would be damaged or prematurely wear.
This problem has been reduced by providing spaced-apart W-shaped brackets 12 and 12', as shown in FIG. 1, mounted to the floors of the storage area. Typically, brackets 12 and 12' are aligned such that they are positioned between flanges 11 and 11' of dolly bar 10. Each bracket 12 and 12' includes two wedge-shaped receiving portions 13 and 13', respectively, formed to slidably receive and support the traverse dimension of elongated dolly bar 10.
While these W-shaped brackets 12 and 12' sufficiently support and reduce movement of dolly bars 10 during vehicle operation, placement and storage of dolly bars 10 onto brackets 12 and 12' is very cumbersome. Because of the substantial weight of bars 10, some weighing nearly 50 pounds, they are difficult to manually suspend from one end when placing dolly bar 10 onto brackets 12 and 12'. Accordingly, dolly bar 10 is usually slid through each wedge-shaped receiving portion 13 and 13' in order to properly position dolly bar 10 thereon.
Dolly bars 10, however, often include stepped portions or shoulders 14 and 14', and wheel unit mounting brackets 9 and 9' extending from the ends thereof which substantially impede sliding movement of dolly bar 10 through wedge-shaped receiving portions 13 and 13'. Similarly, flanges 11 and 11' present formidable obstacles during installation and removal from brackets 12 and 12' when dolly bar 10 is oriented in receiving portion 13 and 13'. Substantial manual maneuvering of dolly bar 10 is often required to overcome these obstacles. For instance, it may be required to lift, sway or rotate dolly bar 10 from one end in order to slide dolly bar 10 past stepped portions 14 and 14', wheel unit mounting brackets 9 and 9' or flanges 11 and 11'. Such motion has caused damage to the vehicle including wiring, and items carried thereon. Further, installation is rather laborious and can cause back and hand injury to the towing technician in some instances. Moreover, the sliding contact of dolly bar 10 with brackets 12 and 12' may cause accelerated wear and tear of dolly bars 10.